Mail-box attachment.



Patented July 23, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

auoewboz y diff we? lmflmwoca O. L. WHEELER. MAIL BOX ATTACHMENT.APPLICATION FILED Nov. 23, 1911.

1,033,502.. Patented July 23, 1912.

V 2 'SHEETSSHEET 2.

J5E-E'- amoe/wtoz Q/vi Imeooeo COLUMBIA PLANoOixAPl-l C0.,WASHINDTON, n.c.

"UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE L. WHEELER, OF MONROE, WISCONSIN.

MAIL-BOX ATTACHMENT.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE L. WHEELER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Monroe, in the county of Green, State of isconsin, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Box i-lttachments;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactclescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in mail boxes, andmore especially to devices for opening and closing the lids thereof andthe object of my invention is to provide a device adapted to be actuatedby the passage of the mail wagon to both open and close the lid of themail box without necessitating any work upon the part of the mailcarrier.

A further object of my invention is to provide means whereby the lid isopened by the action of the forward wheel of the mail cart and in whichthe lid remains open until again acted upon by the passing of the rearwheel of the cart. And a still further object of my invention is theprovision of a device which may be applied with equal facility to mailboxes in which the lid or cover is swung downwardly or upwardly.

Vith these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawings which show apreferred embodiment of my device.

and then specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached toand form a part of this application.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved deviceshowing the same in application. Fig. 2 is a front elevation. Fig. 3 isa top plan. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of a portion of theoperating mechanism. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of amodified form.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, in which similar referencenumerals designate corresponding parts throughout, designates a mail boxof a conventional type commonly employed in rural mail delivery routes,said box being supported upon a post 11 and provided with a lid or cover12 adapted for vertical swinging.

My device consists of a base or platform 13 positioned upon the groundadjacent the mail. box and is preferably secured in place at either endby stakes 14 and 15 the lower Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 23, 1911.

Patented July 23, 1912.

Serial No. 662,027.

ends of which are passed through the base and a suitable distance intothe ground and the upper ends of which extend above the base and form asupporting frame for the actuating mechanism of my device. A laterallydirected stub shaft 16 is carried by the stake 15 and mounted forrotation upon this shaft is a ratchet wheel 17 provided with a pluralityof teeth 18. A. link 19 is pivotally secured by its upper end to the lidof the mail box as shown, and at its lower end to an eccentricallypositioned pin 20 carried by the ratchet wheel. As will be readily seena rotation of the ratchet wheel will cause the reciprocation of the link19 and a consequent raising and lowering of the lid. The stake 14 isprovided with a pivot pin 21 which pin, passes through a longitudinalslot 22 formed in a trip lever 23 the outer end of which is tenoned asat 24 to engage in a longitudinal guide slot 25 formed in the inner faceof an inclined stake 26 the lower end of which is firmly embedded in theearth, the stake 26 being so positioned that a mail cart in being drivenpast the post will pass over the stake 26 in such a manner that itsouter wheels will successively engage with and pass over the trip lever23 depressing the same. The outer end of this trip lever is normallyheld in raised position by means of a helical expansion spring 27 oneend of which is secured to the tenon of the lever and the opposite endof which is secured to the upper end of the slotted portion 25 of thestake. Hingedly secured to the free end of the trip lever 23 by means ofa hinge 28 is a bar 29 and secured to this bar and extending beyond thefree end of the same is a spring pawl 30 which is slidably mountedthrough a keeper 31 carried by the stake 15 and which engages with theteeth 18 of the ratchet wheel to actuate the same. The ground is gradedor trenched as at 32 to receive the trip lever 23 when in depressedposition. As a means for holding the lid in raised position after theforward wheel of the cart has passed over the trip lever 23 I providethe stake 15 with a spring catch 33 adapted to engage with a lug 35carried by the ratchet wheel 17 in such a position that when said wheelhas been turned to raise the lid the pin will be engaged by the catch.

In practice the mail cart is so dr ve-n that its forward wheel inpassing the mall box passes over the trip lever 23 depressing the sameand causing the pawl 30 to turn the ratchet wheel through an angle ofslightly more than ninety degrees, at which point the ratchet wheel willbe held against re turn movement by means of the spring catch thusholding the lid in raised position. When the mail cart is again startedthe rear wheel of the cart again depresses the trip lever 23 whichlever, has been raised by the spring 27 immediately after the passage ofthe front wheel of the cart. This second depression of the trip leverfurther rotates the wheel, such rotation being sufficient to bring thepin 20 above and in advance of the shaft 16, as soon therefore as therear wheel has passed over the trip lever the lid falls by gravityturning the ratchet wheel around to its original position.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated a slightly modified form of structureadapted to be.

employed with mail boxes the lid or cover of which is swung downwardlyin opening and as shown, the sole ditl'erences between this structureand the one previously described being the positioning of the eccentricpin 20 upon the gear wheel 17 in such a manner that the rotation 01' thelatter will exert a downward pull upon the link 19 and in the provisionof a spring 36 adapted to raise the lid to closed position when theratchet wheel is freed from the spring catch at.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that I have providedan extremely simple and eiiicient device for opening and closing thelids of mail boxes and that I have 1 also provided means for maintainingthe lid or cover oi the mail box in open position during the timeelapsing between successive passages of a vehicle wheel.

It will of course be understood that minor changes in details ofconstruction may be made if desired without in the slightest deiii greedeparting from the spirit of my invention.

hat I claim is 1. In a device of the character described, thecombination with a receptacle having a hinged closure, of a deviceoperable by a passing vehicle for actuating said closure, said devicecomprising a supporting base, a ratchet wheel mounted for rotation insaid base, a trip lever slidably and pivotally mounted on said base andhaving its outer end slidably mounted in an inclined guide, means fornormally holding said outer end in raised position, a bar hinged to theinner end of said trip lever, and means carried by said bar and operableby the depression of said trip lever to rotate said ratchet wheel.

2. in a device of the character described, the combination with areceptacle having a hinged closure, oi a device operable by a passingvehicle for actuating said closure, said device comprising a supporting.base, a ratchet wheel mounted for rotation in said base and providedwith a laterally directed lug, a spring catch carried by said supporting base and adapted to engage said lug in one position of the ratchetwheel to hold the same against counterrotation, a trip lever slidablyand pivotally mounted on said base and having its outer end slidablymounted in an inclined guide, means for normally holding said outer endin raised position, a bar hinged to the inner end of said trip lever,and a pawl carried by said bar and engaging with said ratchet wheelwhereupon the depression of said trip lever will rotate said ratchetwheel.

In testimony whereof, I ailix my signa= ture, in presence of twowitnesses.

CLARENCE L. WHEELER.

Witnesses V]. G. Bran,

WILLARD T. SAUGERMAN- Copies of this patent may be obtained for fivecents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

